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Embark on Link's biggest adventure yet.

For the first time in Nintendo's history a Zelda game has launched alongside a brand new console. Originally destined only for the GameCube, The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess made a jump over to the Nintendo Wii to take full advantage of its unique motion-sensing controllers. While GameCube owners only have to wait a few extra weeks to play the same game, the Wii has earned itself a must-have killer-app that belongs in every gamer's library.

Twilight Princess takes place roughly 100 years after the N64 smash hit, Ocarina of Time. The game begins in the southern region of Hyrule in the village of Ordon. Here, a teenager named Link is grooming himself to become the next village chief. He's exceptionally skilled at riding his horse Epona, and will soon come to discover he's destined for so much more than the village has to offer. Early in the game his friends are attacked and kidnapped by monsters in the forest. Link sets out to rescue them, but encounters a strange black mist. Upon entering the dark abyss, Link transforms into a wolf and is imprisoned in a cell. Here, he meets the little imp known as Midna. She wants to help him out of his predicament, but only if he helps her in exchange. He has little choice but to concede to her demands, and the story really begins to take off as both explore the dark realms of the Twilight.

Scrapping the cell shaded animation seen in The Legend of Zelda: WindWaker, this game resembles a next-gen Ocarina of Time. The bright blues and greens are replaced with more realistic browns and yellows. While the scenery may look more realistic, it's still a sight to behold. The first time stepping out into Hyrule Field I was in awe. There are flying creatures hovering in the distance, enemies running about, grass just waiting to be sliced, hills, cliffs, flowers, streams, and in the distance, the castle looms silent, covered by the Twilight curse. Each new location is as stunning and awe-inspiring as the previous. As you make your way through the game, you'll visit many of the locations in the Twilight Realm first, and only after collecting the required items will the area burst into light and you'll get to see the area in all of its original beauty. From soaring mountains to huge waterfalls, the land of Hyrule is magnificent to explore and one can spend hours simply wandering the landscape looking for another rock to bomb or a secret cave to discover.

Luckily, traversing such a huge overworld doesn't require Link to hoof it alone. His trusty steed, Epona, is back in action and horseback riding is even more exciting this time around. Riding Epona is a sure way to travel across the huge expanses in Hyrule, but even better Link can engage in combat on horseback. Slicing down foes is easy enough, as is shooting them with his bow and arrow. Simply pressing the A button will send Epona into a run and she can easily stomp many enemies to death in this manner. To make the game more challenging, Link will encounter enemies riding boars that shoot flaming arrows at him from a distance. These can often be a nuisance, but are quickly dealt with by a few swings of his sword. Later in the game Link will obtain the power to warp to locations all over Hyrule, making it even faster to get where he needs to be.

Twilight Princess benefits greatly from the Wii's new controllers. Simply swing the Wii Remote to swing Link's sword. Enemies can be targeting by holding down the 'Z' button on the nunchuk controller. Pressing A while locked on will deal a massive blow, and like previous games, pressing left or right on the control stick and the A button will allow Link to jump around the enemy quickly. The sword swings aren't 1 to 1, which means all you have to do is barely shake the Remote and he'll swing his sword. In all my playtime with the game I never once got tired or even thought twice about having to swing the Remote to fight, so don't worry about fatigue. Shaking the nunchuk allows Link to perform his spin attack and is a great way to take out multiple foes at once. He will have to wait about 5 seconds for that to recharge before he can use that technique again.

The Remote really shows off its usefulness when other weapons and items are used. Weapons, like the slingshot and bow, use the Remote for aiming. A reticule will appear on screen and to hit an enemy all you have to do is point at it and press the 'B' trigger on the bottom of the remote. This is so easy to do and so intuitive that you won't want to play a Zelda game again without this functionality. Then of course there's the fishing. You'll actually cast the line out by swinging the remote forward like you would in real life. Later in the game you'll actually reel in the fish by twisting the nunchuk like you would with a real fishing pole. There are other weapons and items that use the motion controls, but I'll let you discover them for yourself. Needless to say, the new controls are a huge improvement in accuracy as well as allowing the player to become immersed in ways never before possible.

The Wii Remote has a built-in speaker and rumble, and Twilight Princess makes fantastic use of those features throughout the game. When Link draws his sword, you'll hear it in the controller. When he hits an enemy, the sword clang will come directly from the remote and the rumble is spot-on, making it feel even more like you're holding a sword instead of a controller. As you aim your bow and bring the arrow back you'll hear the string in the controller and as you release the arrow the 'whoosh' goes from the controller to the speakers on your TV. As you progress through the game and discover secrets and ways to open doors in dungeons, that classic Zelda chime will be heard on your TV as well as on your controller, which is really cool. I especially like the corking sound that is heard from the controller when you fill up an empty bottle. At first I was extremely skeptical of the Remote's speaker, but after playing Zelda for more than 50 hours I can safely say the experience wouldn't have been as awesome without it.

While many people had varying opinions on the WindWaker's graphics, one aspect that I think most would agree looked phenomenal was the animation. Nintendo did a fantastic job animating the characters in that game and luckily they managed to port most of that work over to Twilight Princess. Not only is Link animated better than ever with a ton of unique motions and facial expressions, but it's also obvious the developers spent a great deal of effort on Epona. Unlike Ocarina of Time, she looks like a normal sized horse. Her running animation is much improved and little details, like how she'll turn her head slightly if you slowly press left or right while walking, really add to the experience. Many parts of the game require Link to be in wolf form and both he and Midna look great. If you dash, Midna will jerk back and try to hold on for dear life. If you fall into some water or snow, you'll often see the wolf shake off after getting to solid ground. These small details could have been overlooked and the game would have probably turned out fine, but their inclusion is what helps make a good game great.

One of my favorite parts of any Zelda game is the soundtrack. I've always loved the music that accompanies Link throughout his quests. While it's a bit disappointing that more orchestrated music isn't used throughout the game, the end result is the same. Twilight Princess has a fantastic score that mixes a lot of new music with remnants of familiar tunes. Fans of the series will no doubt recognize quite a few of the tracks, but they have an entirely new composition to them so they sound fresh. As a person that was slightly disappointed with WindWaker's soundtrack, I'm extremely happy to report that this game is closer to Ocarina's in terms of scope and variety. Due to its use of midi, the composers were able to alter the music depending on the actions taking place on-screen. As you approach an enemy in the overworld, the music will start to change and take on a more menacing sound. In Castle Town, each section will play the same underlying song, but with different instruments, and in one case, a complete singing band. The Twilight Realm is full of strange and bizarre music and sound effects, reminding me of something out of Silent Hill or Resident Evil, but if you listen close enough you'll hear some of the music that normally plays in that area in the normal realm. In addition, you'll meet various characters that will hum a few lines from familiar songs, and even your wolf howls will bring a familiar tone to the game. The game is presented in Dolby Pro Logic II, so if you have a receiver and the speakers to handle that, the game sounds even better. Bottom line is there isn't one song in the entire game that sounds bad, and most of the music suits the mood perfectly. I really like the overworld music at night as it's both calming and creepy at the same time.

The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a masterpiece and a AAA launch title for the Wii. The dungeons are fun and the puzzles, while sometimes difficult, always make sense. The scope of adventure and exploration cannot be matched by any other game. Even though the graphics are basically GameCube warmed over, they are more than adequate and you will spend hours upon hours enjoying every aspect this title has to offer. With a slightly more mature and darker storyline, players will be enthralled until the very end, especially if they've played past Zelda games as there are some surprises sprinkled throughout. This has definitely been worth the wait and no Wii owner should be without this in his or her library. Best game on the Wii? Yes. Best game of the year? Indeed.